Real Box Car Willie

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Mark0820

I guess I have the real Box Car Willie tomatoes. I just found a thread on another site where Remy posted a picture of some smaller sized Box Car Willie tomatoes. She also describes two different sizes and slightly different shapes that match my description in the previous post. Since her description matches the tomatoes I am getting from Sandhill's seed, it must be the real deal.

I'm still not sure whether the hollowness I am experience is normal for BCW, or whether it is possibly due to the weather we had this year. I don't know why, but I just assumed it was a solid slicing tomato.

I still plan on buying seed from Remy, and next year will grow Remy's seed next to Sandhill's seed and see how they compare (since both got their seed from Carolyn).

Mark, just a couple of comments.

From the get go I've never gotten two shapes for BCW; always a slightly oblate, not completely round fruit shape.

And I've never gotten hollow ones either. But look up tomato puffliness and you'll see it can be weather related.

[Mark0820]

I should have added this in the post above. If anyone is interested, this is the photo and description from Remy. The photo is from 2007.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/l...025131132.html

Since Carolyn has never experienced two different shapes, I guess I am still confused. There is a thread on TV somewhere that talks about weather having an impact on the shape of early fruit set. I am now wondering if this could be a reason Remy and I experienced some smaller, rounder BCW.

There are still a good number of small green tomatoes on the plant, so I will wait and see what shape they are.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Mark0820

I should have added this in the post above. If anyone is interested, this is the photo and description from Remy. The photo is from 2007.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/l...025131132.html

Since Carolyn has never experienced two different shapes, I guess I am still confused. There is a thread on TV somewhere that talks about weather having an impact on the shape of early fruit set. I am now wondering if this could be a reason Remy and I experienced some smaller, rounder BCW.

There are still a good number of small green tomatoes on the plant, so I will wait and see what shape they are.

Just a bit of clarification.

Remy was saying in that thread that some of her early tomatoes were small in size and that's not surprising at all.

As to shape, I looked at the link where the picture showed the picture from my book and you see a cluster of fruits and the largest ones towards the front were clearly oblate and the smaller ones towards the rear were on their way to maturity and didn't show that yet.

The genetics of BCW should give oblate red tomatoes but as many have said, and I agree, earliest fruits may not show that but later ones should, and as for size, with lots of varieties the earliest fruits can be smaller than later ones.

Does that help?

[remy]

I was just coming here to write what I now see Carolyn already wrote what I was going to say. I do not have pics from this year yet. I know I'll get some good pics of bigger ones this time around. I did not have hollowness problems, but as Carolyn also said that can be weather related too.
Remy

[Mark0820]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Just a bit of clarification.

Remy was saying in that thread that some of her early tomatoes were small in size and that's not surprising at all.

As to shape, I looked at the link where the picture showed the picture from my book and you see a cluster of fruits and the largest ones towards the front were clearly oblate and the smaller ones towards the rear were on their way to maturity and didn't show that yet.

The genetics of BCW should give oblate red tomatoes but as many have said, and I agree, earliest fruits may not show that but later ones should, and as for size, with lots of varieties the earliest fruits can be smaller than later ones.

Does that help?

That helps. I think we are all on the same page. The smaller, rounder tomatoes I experienced were some of the first six tomatoes I picked. This matches with Remy's experience.

I would also say there is a good chance puffiness (now that I have read about it) is what I am experiencing.

I will wait and see what my later fruit looks like. They should be the larger, more flat (oblate) type. Hopefully, I will get some without the puffiness.

I feel better that I now have "true" BCW seed, but still intend to buy some from Remy (just to be safe). At least I have replicated the shape and size that Remy experienced.

[Mark0820]

I guess I was too optimistic in my last post. Of the two shapes I mentioned (small roundish vs. a little larger and more flat), it appears the dominate shape is the small roundish tomato. The size ranges anywhere from a golf ball to a tennis ball (with most somewhere in between). The shape is very similar to Remy's picture from the link in post #32 above.

Based on size alone, it appears I do not have the true BCW (maybe it is "Son of BCW"). I only planted one plant, so I don't know if the seed was a stray seed or if it is an accidental cross. For such a small tomato, it seems to be quite late in ripening. I usually plant larger tomatoes (8 oz. or bigger), but I would have thought the smaller tomatoes would ripen more quickly.

[KevinCT]

mine didnt fair to well this season, it was one of my last minute adds, so I planted it in the back of the box garden next to the garage, the rain run off from the roof gave it problems. I was able to get a few small ones but the plant was pretty sickly. It definitely aint a mudder

[carolyn137]

The size of a fruit of a variety has really nothing to do with the earliness or lateness of a variety. There are plenty of small fruited varieties that mature very late. it;'s all in the genes of a variety.

As I recall Remy got her Box Car Willie seeds from me and if she's satisfied that it exhibits the picture and description in my book that's fine with me.

For many years I listed BCW in the SSE YEarbooks and I never got any feedback that it was other than what my SSE description said, as seeds from my being able to wake up the seeds for that variety that Joe Bratks sent me b/c he couldn't germinate them.

Somewhere around here I'm pretty sure I still have an envelope with some BCW seeds in it and now I'm wondering if I offered them in the first seed offer I did here in dec/jan of 2007 since Tville frist started in Jan of 2006.

Well I must have if Remy grew it out in 2007 and seeds were from me.

[Mark0820]

Thanks to Remy (Sample Seed Shop) I finally tasted the real Box Car Willie tomato. I must say the flavor is much better than any of the imposters I tasted during the past 4 - 5 years. Remy describes it as "earthy" on her website, and that seemed like a good descriptor to me based on the two tomatoes I tasted. I liked it alot.

I am growing Red Barn this year too, so I can't wait to compare the taste of Box Car Willie to Red Barn.

For anyone who wants to be certain they are growing the real Box Car Willie, I would highly recommend going to the Sample Seed Shop and buying a packet of seeds. http://sampleseeds.com/?page_id=65

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Mark0820

Thanks to Remy (Sample Seed Shop) I finally tasted the real Box Car Willie tomato. I must say the flavor is much better than any of the imposters I tasted during the past 4 - 5 years. Remy describes it as "earthy" on her website, and that seemed like a good descriptor to me based on the two tomatoes I tasted. I liked it alot.

I am growing Red Barn this year too, so I can't wait to compare the taste of Box Car Willie to Red Barn.

For anyone who wants to be certain they are growing the real Box Car Willie, I would highly recommend going to the Sample Seed Shop and buying a packet of seeds. http://sampleseeds.com/?page_id=65

Mark, I'm all for buying BCW seeds from Remy, since I was the one who sent her the seeds, , but I've sent the seeds to other seed sites as well, so Remy isn't the only one with true BCW.

And I've said many times that I think Red Barn, also bred by Joe Bratka's father, has been very overlooked so I'm glad you are growing it. The other ones that he bred that I also think are very worthwile are Mule Team and Great Divide.

Did I ever tell you that I used your empty envelope that you sent me with your SASE for my last seed offer as a divider to hold a place when filling a seed pack? I thought you ought to know how much your envelope helped me for the fresh 2011 ones, for I had other dividers for the other boxes that held seeds of different ages.

[lakelady]

I'm so glad I opened this thread! I have Mule Team growing this year, Red Barn never made it (but will for 2013) and now I can add Box Car Willie ...will have to search for Great Divide somewhere !

[Mark0820]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Mark, I'm all for buying BCW seeds from Remy, since I was the one who sent her the seeds, , but I've sent the seeds to other seed sites as well, so Remy isn't the only one with true BCW.

And I've said many times that I think Red Barn, also bred by Joe Bratka's father, has been very overlooked so I'm glad you are growing it. The other ones that he bred that I also think are very worthwile are Mule Team and Great Divide.

Did I ever tell you that I used your empty envelope that you sent me with your SASE for my last seed offer as a divider to hold a place when filling a seed pack? I thought you ought to know how much your envelope helped me for the fresh 2011 ones, for I had other dividers for the other boxes that held seeds of different ages.

Just to clarify, I didn't say Remy is the only one with true BCW. All I said was I would recommend the Sample Seed Shop to those wanting to be certain of getting true BCW. It is just a recommendation (since my seed grew true, I know Remy's seed is true, and therefore other people can feel good about placing an order there and getting true BCW).

I'm glad my envelope is being put to good use.